CHAPELLE-D'ARMENTIÈRES OLD MILITARY CEMETERY ​​​Nord

​France

La Chapelle-d'Armentieres is a village 1.5 kilometres to the west of Armentieres, a large town in the north of France.

From the Mairie in La Chapelle-d'Armentieres turn left onto the main road. The Old Military Cemetery will be found 500 metres along on the left.

GPS CO-OrdinatesLongitude: 2.90214Latitude: 50.67082

Visiting Information

Wheelchair access with some difficulty.

Historical Information

The village of La Chapelle-d'Armentieres was in the hands of Commonwealth forces from October 1914 until the fall of Armentieres on 10 April 1918. It was retaken in the following October. During the Allied occupation, the village was very close to the front line and its cemeteries were made by fighting units and field ambulances in the earlier days of trench warfare. Chapelle-d'Armentieres Old Military Cemetery was begun in October 1914 by units of the 6th Division and used until October 1915.

The cemetery contains 103 First World War burials three of them unidentified.

8014 Lance Corporal Alfred Atkinson, 1st Bn. West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own), executed for desertion 2nd March 1915, aged 24. Row B. 8.He won a sum of money gambling, & after a drinking-bout deserted from his battalion when it was under orders to proceed to the front. Atkinson was arrested 3 weeks later. At trial, evidence was given that he was a good soldier, hence his sentence had carried a recommendation to mercy (Putkowski, p. 35)

14780 Acting Corporal Alexander Chisholm, Mentioned in Despatches, 20th Army Troop Company, Royal Engineers, executed for murder 17th May 1915, aged 31. Row B. 27. Son of James and Hannah Taylor Chisholm, of Heaton, Newcastle-on-Tyne; husband of Janet Chisholm, of Moline, Manitoba, Canada.When in charge of a small work-force at an aerodrome, he had a serious falling-out with one of its carpenter members, Lance Corporal Lewis. The quarrel festered, Chisholm being accused of being responsible for the loss of their billet, & of falsifying pay records. Soon after when in Bailleul, Chisholm shot Lewis — who died 24 hours later. The murderer was sentenced to be hanged, but his death certificate indicates that he was shot. (Putkowski, pp. 42-43)